"My New Hometown" a Miami Travel Page by el_ruso

Well, Miami is unique. It is technically a part of the US, but has developed a unique culture and has more in common with Latin America than, say, Nebraska. You should visit this place and explore it beyond Miami Beach resorts (which is actually a separate and distinct city), because you will experience things that you will never find anywhere else in this country. The city has a unique style and ambience, and you are likely to fall in love with it at first sight.

Miami was just a small town at the turn of last century, and nothing promised it to become a major city. However, the Seminole Indians were finally pacified and railroad was brought here, and the place quickly became popular as a resort destination for the Northeasterners (and still is); the Art Deco era hotels in Miami Beach are the survivors of that era.

Then during the Depression years, the Tamiami canal was dug which drained enough land to allow the city to expand; the process which is still continuing, as more and more homes are built where Everglades used to be.

Cold War dramatically changed the city. Following the 1959 revolution in Cuba large number of opponents of the new regime, mostly from the upper classes, came here and settled. They and their descendents are now the political and business elite of the city, and once they have achieved this status, Miami changed. It went through the dark period in the 70's and 80's owing to the crime brought by the illicit drug trade. But since then its image and fortunes have recovered, fueled by mass immigration from South America and the Caribean. 1981 in particular was the time of mass exodus from Cuba followed by a steady stream of more new immigrants from there as well as from other Caribean islands and South America. Today more people speak Spanish than English as their first language, and it is essential to be bilingual to be successful here professionally, but a tourist should not have a problem. Haitian community is also growing rapidly, but it still has to make a mark on the popular image of the city.